Her Amish Farm (PAPERBACK)

Chapter 1.
In her bare feet, Cherish Baker sprinted across the cold floorboards when a knock sounded on the front door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Florence. She and the girls had just finished their Saturday chores in the orchard. Had someone done something wrong? Cherish fixed a smile on her face. “Hi, Florence.” She stepped back to allow her through. “Come in. Everyone’s in the kitchen. Ada’s here too.”
“I thought that was her buggy.” Florence looked at Levi, who was asleep in his chair with a newspaper on his chest. “Everyone’s in the kitchen except for Levi, it seems.”
“Yes,” Cherish whispered. 
Florence followed Cherish through to the kitchen. 
Ada was the first to speak to Florence. “Don’t you know if you want to use the front or the back door?”
“What do you mean?” Florence asked.
“Most people either come in the front door or the back door every time they come to someone’s house. You’re unpredictable.” Ada looked at the others. “Florence can’t make up her mind which one she prefers. It’s never one or the other.”
“I’m not sure why I do that. Today, I found myself at the front of the house.”
Ada laughed. “Your legs must be disconnected from your brain. Or they have a mind of their own.” 
Florence moved closer to the table. “How are you anyway, Ada?”
“Ah, can’t complain.”
Cherish wanted to say that wasn’t true because she was always complaining, but then Ada might cancel the upcoming trip to the farm.
“What are you doing back here, Florence? Haven’t you had enough of us for one day?” Favor asked, jokingly.
“Work’s finished for the day, isn’t it?” Wilma blinked rapidly. “Surely you’re not making the girls work extra on a Saturday afternoon?”
“No, not at all. I have recent news, and also I have old news that I realized I haven’t told you.”
“Have a seat with us,” Mamm said. 
“Oh, I can’t wait. I love to hear news.” Favor clapped her hands while Mamm scowled at her and covered her ears against the noise.
Cherish sat down next to Florence. “What’s the news?”
Florence looked around. “Where is everybody?”
Mamm sighed. “As you would expect, Hope wasted no time going off to be with Fairfax. Adam picked up Bliss, and I have no idea where they went.”
Favor said, “He usually takes her back to his workshop to show her what he and Andrew Weeks have been working on.”
Ada nodded. “And don’t you two get any ideas. You don’t have to find men like your sisters did, so young. Wait until you’re at least twenty. Twenty-two is better.”
Cherish wasn’t happy with Ada. “You were the one who matched Mercy.”
“I was asked to find her someone suitable.”
“Jah, she wanted to marry young,” Mamm said. “Ada knew the perfect man, her own nephew.”
Cherish didn’t want to hear that story again. “So, Miriam is too old to marry, and Mercy was too young?”
“Exactly.” Ada picked up her tea and sipped it. “Ah, nice and hot, just how I like it. Now, what is your news, Florence?”
“My news is that we’ll be digging the foundations for the new house. It’s all starting on Monday.”
Ada’s eyebrows flew upward. “You’ll be doing that yourselves?”
“Not me personally, or Carter. I meant the workers will do it, the builders.”
Ada laughed. “I knew Carter wouldn’t be doing anything with his hands.”
“No, he uses his brain,” Mamm said. 
When Ada scowled to show she wasn’t happy about what Mamm said, Cherish did her best to divert their attention by being extra loud. “I’m so excited that your new house is beginning after all this time. You’ve been planning it for a year, haven’t you?”
“More than that. Ever since we married, and I moved in, but it’s probably been a year since we got the architect involved.”
“Yes, the cottage is rather small,” said Mamm. “That is exciting, and what is your other news?”
“Wait,” Ada said. “Is your new house going up next to the cottage?”
“Between the cottage and the road.”
Ada turned to Wilma. “It’s a shame you don’t have that land now. It turns out the land could’ve been worth a sum.”
“I know, but at the time, we had to do something. We had many bad seasons due to crazy weather. We had to sell that section of land to help save the orchard, and it did.”
Ada turned to Florence. “Continue.”
“Well, it’s not my news. I found out today that Earl and Miriam are getting married.”
“We already know that,” Cherish said. “They’re getting married at the end of the year, just like Fairfax and Hope.”
Florence laughed. “No, I forgot to say they’re getting married in a few weeks and not at the end of the year. They brought the wedding forward.”
Mamm put her cup down heavily onto the saucer. “What?”
“Why didn’t they tell us?” Ada turned to Wilma. “Did you know this, Wilma?”
“I didn’t.”
Favor put her hand on Mamm’s shoulder. “Mamm, he didn’t leave on the best of terms. Maybe he doesn’t want you at the wedding, and that’s why he didn’t tell you himself.” 
Cherish recalled the dreadful scene of a few weeks ago when Miriam and Earl left in a rush. It was all Ada’s fault because she’d tried to match Miriam up with Ezekiel Troyer, the pig farmer. Then there were Mamm and Ada's awful comments about their age difference. Earl was outraged when he found out, and he and Miriam left immediately and went back home to Ohio. 
Wilma pursed her lips. “Nonsense. I’ll still go. I’m sure he won’t mind if we’re at the wedding. What do you think, Ada?”
“I suppose if they insist on going ahead with getting married despite our giving them our best advice, we should go to the wedding. Up until the last minute, he can change his mind.”
Cherish noticed Florence’s face twitched with concern. Earl must’ve said he didn’t want them there. “We’re going to the farm in a few days. I hope we’ll be back in time for the wedding.”
“We can only stay for five days at the farm, Cherish.”
“Thank you, Ada. Five days are better than no days.”
Florence smiled at Cherish. “You must be excited to be going back there, Cherish.”
“I would go too, but I’m staying here to work,” Favor said.
Cherish glared at Favor for that comment. Was her sister trying to make her look bad for checking on the farm? Did Favor want someone to praise her for staying? “I am super excited to see how it’s coming along. I think Malachi is doing a good job, but I still need to keep my eye on the place. I don’t want it to get run down or anything of the kind.”
“I think you should be delighted with him,” Mamm said. “I think he’s running the place well, and don’t forget he’s the only one who put his hand up for the job, so be nice to him.”
“I thought you were worried about what he was doing with the farm, Cherish,” said Favor.
Before Cherish could say anything, Mamm said, “Bishop Zachariah wouldn’t have recommended him if he didn’t know he was going to do a good job.”
Ada said, “But he’s the bishop’s nephew, Wilma.”
“But still, he wouldn’t.”
Ada pursed her lips. “I suppose that’s true enough. Any more news?” Ada asked Florence.
“No more news. That’s all I have.”
“Well, I have some news, too,” said Wilma. “Ada and Samuel have agreed to go with me to visit Honor and Mercy. I’ll be there for the births just like I was there for their first babies.” 
“That is good news. I hope they can come here soon after that. We haven’t seen them in forever. They’ve only been back here once since they left,” Favor said.
“I hope they visit too. Then Iris can meet her cousins.” Florence stood. “I must get home. I just thought you’d like to know Earl’s news as soon as possible.”
Favor jumped to her feet. “Before you go, Florence. I’ll quickly show you what I’ve done with the vegetable garden.”
“I’d love to see it.”
Once Favor and Florence left, Ada and Wilma stared at one another. Cherish knew they had a lot to say.
Ada stared at her empty cup. “I’d like another, please, and thank you, Cherish.”
“Sure.” Cherish took her cup to the sink and then filled up the teakettle.
“Well, Wilma, what do you think of Earl bringing his wedding date forward by a whole six months?” Ada asked.
“I’m not happy about it. I tried to talk sense into him and her, but what can you do with people who won’t listen?”
“That’s exactly right. You can’t do anything.” Ada blew out a deep breath. 
Cherish lit the gas stove and then placed the teakettle over the flame.
Ada raised herself off her chair to see what Cherish was doing. “I hope you haven’t filled it too much. It’ll take forever to boil, and I don’t like waiting.”
“I only half-filled it.”
“Ah, gut.”
When Ada sat back down, Wilma said, “I won’t say I’m not upset about it because I am.”
“He should listen to you, Wilma. My opinion shouldn’t matter to him, but yours should. You’re the closest thing to a mother he has.”
Wilma stared into her half-gone cup of tea. “It seems it doesn’t mean much to him. It never has. We never got along, not really.”
“You did. Don’t say you didn’t, Wilma, because that’s not accurate.”
“If we did, it was so long ago that I don’t remember.”
“As a child, he would’ve seen you as the loving mother that you were. You were so good to those children. You treated them as your own.”
Cherish leaned against the countertop. Then she saw Ada lifting the teapot, so she rushed over to take it from her. Then Cherish set about emptying the old leaves and placing new ones in the pot. “More tea for you too, Mamm?”
“Of course.” Mamm sighed then and said to Ada, “I don’t know what I did to make him turn against me.”
“And he didn’t call you about the new arrangements and tell you himself. Or he could’ve written you a letter.”
“The letter might be on its way.” Cherish put the lid back on the tea caddy.
Ada stared at Cherish. “Did anyone ask you anything?”
“No, but I’m here, and I didn’t know I had to ask if I could speak.”
“That’s what hurt,” said Wilma. “We find out through Florence like she is the real one who matters in his life, and not us.”
“What does Levi think about it? That’s what I’d like to know.” Ada gave a nod.
Wilma breathed out heavily. “Levi never comments about anything. And I don’t like to say anything because he thinks I’m complaining all the time when I’m not. I’m just having a conversation and telling him how I feel.”
“No, you’re not complaining. I agree with you there. We did everything we could.” Ada patted Wilma’s hand.
Cherish decided it was time to join in again. “Did what you could about what?”
Mamm pressed her lips together. “I told you not to eavesdrop, but it just goes in one ear and out the other.”
“I’m in the same room, just feet away from you. That’s not eavesdropping.”
Mamm continued, “You’ll hear something bad about yourself one day when you’re listening in to others, and that will teach you.”
“Yes, that will serve you right,” said Ada.
“Too late for that because I’ve already heard lots of horrible things about myself.”
Ada shook her head. “I don’t doubt it for a moment.”
When the kettle boiled, Cherish filled the teapot and placed it back on the table along with Ada’s empty cup. “Excuse me then. I guess you won’t mind pouring your own if that will mean I can leave you both to talk on your own without fear of me listening.” Cherish headed into the living room without waiting for an answer.
“Your rudeness will catch up with you one day, my girl,” Ada called out to her. 
Cherish did not comment. She found Levi sitting in his usual chair, awake now, and reading his newspaper. This was the perfect time to ask him something. “Levi, can I talk to you for a moment?”
Levi looked up over the top of his paper. He lowered it, revealing his long graying beard. “Yes, what is it?”
Cherish sat down on the opposite couch, trying to calm herself the best she could. Levi had been reasonable lately, and there was a chance he might say yes to what she was about to ask. It didn’t stop her from being nervous, though. “It’s about my one day a week at the café. I’m going to the farm and I won’t be there.”
“Jah, I know this. They’ll have to find someone else to work in your stead.”
“That’s right; they will. And I thought it might be a good idea, and a nice thing, if Bliss could take over my one day when I’m gone. It would mean a lot to her, and it would just be one single day.” She made sure she kept emphasizing the word ‘one.’
Levi folded the paper over and set it down on the table in front of him. Then he moved his mouth sideways, causing his whole beard to move to one side along with it. “Have you two cooked this up among yourselves?”
“Oh, no. I haven’t mentioned a word to her because if you say no, she’ll be so disappointed. You know how she loves working at the café. It’ll be like a special treat for her if you allow her to do it.”
He rubbed his beard. “One day, you say? To take your place, is that right?”
“Yes, she’s been working so hard in the orchard, and it would be like a small reward. It would make her happy.”
“I don’t see that will be a problem.” He picked up the paper again. 
Cherish could scarcely believe her ears. “You mean, she can?”
“Yes, if it’s all right with the people you work for.”
“Yes, it is. I already asked Rocky, the boss, and he said that would be fine because she knows the routines from before when she worked there. He’d rather Bliss be there than someone new who was just filling in for a day. Rocky started that new second café, and he’s had to employ a lot of new people, and…”
“I get the picture. I already said yes, Cherish.”
“You mean it?”
“I do. Now you can tell Bliss. Unless she knows about it already. Does she?”
Why didn’t anyone trust her? “No, she doesn’t. I said that, and I meant it. The only thing is, what about Florence? Will she mind Bliss having a day off? I’ll be gone too.”
“I’ll work instead of her for that day.”
“Thanks, Levi. Florence won’t mind then if you’re prepared to do that.” She jumped up and hugged him.
“Whoa. It’s only for one day, isn’t it?” He eyed her suspiciously.
“One single solitary day. Yes, that’s right. You don’t know how happy this will make her.”
Levi chuckled. Cherish bounded up to her room to keep packing for the farm. There she’d stay until Bliss came home, and then she’d tell her about working at the café in her place.

THE AMISH BONNET SISTERS

Book 1 Amish Mercy

Book 2 Amish Honor

Book 3 A Simple Kiss

Book 4 Amish Joy

Book 5 Amish Family Secrets

Book 6 The Englisher

Book 7 Missing Florence

Book 8 Their Amish Stepfather

Book 9 A Baby For Florence

Book 10 Amish Bliss

Book 11 Amish Apple Harvest

Book 12 Amish Mayhem

Book 13 The Cost of Lies

Book 14 Amish Winter of Hope

Book 15 A Baby For Joy

Book 16 The Amish Meddler

Book 17 The Unsuitable Amish Bride

Book 18 Her Amish Farm

Book 19 The Unsuitable Amish Wedding

Book 20 Her Amish Secret

Book 21 Amish Harvest Mayhem

Book 22 Amish Family Quilt

Book 23 Hope's Amish Wedding

Book 24 A Heart of Hope

Book 25 A Season for Change

Book 26 Amish Farm Mayhem

Book 27 The Stolen Amish Wedding

Book 28 A Season for Second Chances

Book 29 A Change of Heart

Book 30 The Last Wedding

Book 31 Starting Over

Book 32 Love and Cherish

Book 33 Amish Neighbors

Book 34 Her Amish Quilt

Book 35 A Home of Their Own

Book 36 A Chance for Love

Book 37 Her Amish Wish

Book 38 Amish Harvest Time

Book 39 Whispers of Change

Book 40 Her Hopeful Heart

Book 41 Return to Love's Promise

Book 42 Amish Circle of Blessings